The Tomb of Fate
by royjoy
Summary: When the famous historian Malik Ishtar is sent to a newly discovered tomb, with assistant Bakura to help him out, things start going wrong. Yet, while this nightmare of a resting place is dangerous, love can still magically happen. MALIK X BAKURA, YAOI
1. Chapter 1

**The Tomb of Fate**

**Chapter 1: The First Meeting**

* * *

**WARNING:** This is a Malik/Bakura pairing fic. If you don't like them together, or think shounen-ai is sick, you might not want to read. But if you're a Malik/Bakura fan, go ahead.

* * *

**NOTE:** This fic takes place in a different world than Yu-Gi-Oh. Bakura and Malik are NOT from ancient Egypt, and they do NOT know each other already or any of the other  
YGO characters.

* * *

"Mr. Ishtar, your jet is ready." 

The gruff voice was coming from a speaker in Malik's hotel room. Malik happened to be a renowned archaeologist and historian, and was about to be 'shipped' off to the fourth Egyptian tomb site this summer. Not only did this disrupt his quiet, studious life, but the weather was blisteringly hot down in Egypt, and the sand twisters were _very _annoying.

But, he was not as bothered by the call from his pilot as he should have been; in fact, he was rather excited. This tomb was very different than the others he had visited. All of _them_ were simple graveyards for the poor. But this one, this was the tomb he had been researching the past year himself. It just happened to be his next assignment to explore, and he had found more than reasonable proof that this _was_,in fact, the final resting place of one of Egypt's best-kept secrets.

For millennia, Egyptian natives never spoke a word of King Sabestet. He was one of their greatest kings of all time, and with the riches in his tomb, they could not risk a foreign tomb-robber coming to rob Sabestet of his freedom in the afterlife.

Malik had discovered the first clues of a king more famous than Tutankhamen when he visited the grave of a little known king. Since he had learned how to read Egyptian, he could decipher the passages of the records copied down by scribes, generation after generation. He found a sentence that merely referenced to a name of a king that he had never heard of. Malik had then reread centuries of records in his personal library to find that name again, and possibly learn more about him. He strove onward to discover the lair of this great king until he finally reached some conclusions that were logically correct. And that conclusion was where he was headed now.

As he stepped into the jet and sat down in a leather seat, he didn't even glance back at the city he was leaving.

* * *

Bakura grumbled.

Today he was supposed to depart for Egypt to be an assistant for some weird famous dude called Malik Ishtar. _What a waste… I was going to rob the bank in my spare time today._

The only reason he was accepting the offer to come was because of the fame and riches. Fame: He would have the authority to make things the way _he _wanted! Riches: _It feels good when it clinks in my pockets as I walk._

Normally, Bakura would never agree to be second in command. He either worked alone, or not at all. But if he did have to cooperate, he would rather have the power of command. Which he would have, after the journey was over.

This Ishtar guy really knew a lot about Egypt, from the looks of things. Bakura had been given a profile on him when his job was assigned. Wanting to know all about his next victim, he naturally read the papers thoroughly. Yet for some reason, he felt… _safer_ traveling with someone so experienced. This was a strange feeling for Bakura. After all, he had never put safety first.

Was it possible that he was scared? Could he be afraid of the tomb that they were going to descend into? Bakura would never be scared of such silly things. Sure, he had watched countless horror movies involving mummies and pyramids, which he had an unnatural affinity towards, but those never scared him. Yet, maybe the reason he was frightened was because he did not know what to do if he was caught in danger inside the tomb. While being chased by police cars, he was never frightened, because he had a routine strategy for those moments that never failed.

And yet, he had a plan of sorts for when he reached the chamber of King Sallybet, or whatever his silly name was. Bakura would make sure that he was the first one to reach the lair of the king. And maybe, that he was the _only_ one to get there at all. Yes, murder was definitely on his mind.

He was ready.

* * *

Hours later, Malik and Bakura each arrived at the airport in Cairo. Though they were both here for the same job, there were certain obvious differences between them. Malik had arrived in his luxurious private jet, while Bakura had just stepped out of a commercial airliner. Malik had a Gucci suit on, and Bakura was wearing cargo pants and a striped shirt. Malik was smiling at his new companion, but Bakura was scowling off into the distance. _I hate people who have more money than me._

Malik strode up to Bakura with a grim look on his face, but suddenly smiled.

"Hello, I am Malik Ishtar, professor of ancient Egyptian studies at the University of Cairo. You must be Bakura, my assistant. It's nice to meet you!"

Bakura stared at Malik as if he had just been forced to swallow an ostrich.

"What the _hell_- I mean…"

"Nice to meet you too," Bakura added. He was not sure if Malik caught the sarcasm in his voice.

Malik merely smiled again, though he was certainly able to identify that his partner would not be the cooperative helping hand that he had been looking for. But, as Malik was always optimistic, Bakura could have some special talents.

"Bakura, what do you specialize in, yourself? Seeing as I have already explained my profession, it is only fair that I get a good idea about what you're like as well."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at this, and before thinking, made a reply.

"Oh, me? I'm unemployed. But I do have… _unnatural_ talent for lock picking, thievery, and murder when no one is looking. I can also move without making a sound. Very handy when you happen to be-"

Bakura stopped talking abruptly when he saw the look on Malik and his pilot's faces. He immediately realized that saying those things was not the smartest thing at the moment.

"Only joking, of course! My real talents lie in comedy, as you have seen."

Bakura thought that he had sounded sappy, but he noticed that the pilot had relaxed, and Malik had resumed smiling. But when the agent looked away, he raised an eye at Bakura, and whispered into his ear."

"Murder and thievery, huh? I can tell that we're going to have a fun time together."

But then, a taxi arrived to pick up the two men, and they smiled at each other, waved at the pilot, and hopped into the car.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Tomb of Fate**

**Chapter 2: Fight and Flight**

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WARNING: This is a Malik/Bakura pairing fic. If you don't like them together, or think shounen-ai is sick, you might not want to read. But if you're a Malik/Bakura fan, go ahead.

----------------------

NOTE: This fic takes place in a different world than Yu-Gi-Oh. Bakura and Malik are NOT from ancient Egypt, and they do NOT know each other already or any of the other YGO characters.

----------------------

REVIEW REPLIES:

Sekana Katayama: And hopefully… better!

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The taxi drive seemed to take forever. In fact, it almost did. Twice they nearly drove into boulders in the road, and another time they were attacked by vengeful natives.

The trip consisted of a six-hour drive out into the scorching deserts of Egypt to find a remote area that might contain the tomb that Malik had been assigned to. And they still had three more hours to go.

"This sucks," muttered Bakura under his breath.

"Why can't we have taken another plane? Or maybe a faster taxi?"

Malik ignored this comment, but looked Bakura in the eye.

"You know, I've been thinking…" Malik started, for the fifth time in the past hour.

Bakura suddenly exploded.

"You know what; _I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THINKING! _You think that you know everything, you rich son of a bitch, while the only thing you really know is how to piss people off. Why can't you just leave me alone for a damn minute already!"

Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the trip.

------------------------

Finally, the taxi stopped at a small town centered around an oasis. Supposedly, this was only a few miles from their destination. As they stepped out of the car, Malik pulled a thick wad of bills out of his pocket and gave them to the driver. He looked astonished, but Malik just said, "Keep the change," and walked off in a hurry. Bakura approached Malik as the car headed away.

"Look, Malik, I'm really sorry for what I said back there. I didn't mean any of it."

Malik glared at Bakura, and began to yell back.

"I'm SURE! You think that you can just take your anger out on someone, and then just turn around later and say _'I'm sorry'! _Who do you think I am!"

Bakura had not ever seen Malik less than happy, and this shocked him. It even, surprisingly, hurt him. _Why would this idiot's problems affect me? I could care less!"_ But still, Bakura could not stop trying to apologize.

"No, really. I was just… really worked up from all of the excitement. I mean, we're going to the tomb of the most famous Egyptian king _ever!_ I just got nervous, and then…"

Malik's eyes began to shine with the beginnings of tears.

"You, excited about the tomb? _YOU!_ You don't even _care_ about the tomb! For all I know, you just cam here to murder me and rob the tomb _and_ the history books! You're just… just… _evil!"_

Malik's face was now sparkling with tears, and they streamed down onto his shirt as he ran away from Bakura.

Bakura stood there, and began to look at his own feet. He really felt sorry for that Malik guy. Lately, Bakura noticed that he was acting very different around Malik. He never felt sorry for people. This was a new feeling. Maybe one of the reasons he felt bad was because he _did_ plan to kill Malik. But maybe, maybe his plan could be swayed… just a bit. _What am I saying! How could I, Bakura, change my plans for glory and riches just for this stupid stuck-up brat!_

Yet, as he thought these words, Bakura did not feel as if he had really meant them.

When he continued to analyze his feelings, Bakura realized something important. Something big.

He began to stare off into space, as if nothing else mattered.

"I have _feelings_ for this Malik guy."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Tomb of Fate**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

WARNING: This is a Malik/Bakura pairing fic. If you don't like them together, or think shounen-ai is sick, you might not want to read. But if you're a Malik/Bakura fan, go ahead.

* * *

NOTE: This fic takes place in a different world than Yu-Gi-Oh. Bakura and Malik are NOT from ancient Egypt, and they do NOT know each other already or any of the other YGO characters.

* * *

REVIEW REPLIES:

Rapturous Voice: Yes, it's a great pairing, isn't it?

* * *

Bakura was slowly walking down the many back alleys in the town for Malik. _Where could he have gone?_

Bakura was having a very hard day. First, he suddenly exploded on Malik for no reason, and now Malik wouldn't forgive him! On top of that, Bakura discovered that he was _gay!_

_Well, maybe I'm not gay, because that Egyptian girl that just passed me was pretty sexy._

_Maybe I'm bi. No… I'm definitely straight. Straight as my… wait, I don't need to say that here. I might frighten the children._

_Anyways, how could I be bi if I've never liked a man up until this point? Maybe Malik is my soul mate, in a man's body…_

Bakura sighed. He had been arguing with himself on this subject for the last few hours. And he still hadn't found Malik.

But, wait, what was that noise? It sounded like the wind at first, but now kit was clearly a sob.

It was coming from the public restrooms.

Bakura suddenly tensed. _Did I really hurt Malik that badly? I didn't know I had that kind of power…_

But then, he decided to take the nice guy approach, as he slowly opened the door to the men's bathroom.

"Malik, is that you in there?" he said in the general direction of the stalls.

"Yeah. So why don't you just leave me alone now?"

Bakura heard the shaky reply come from the largest stall. Malik must have been crying for a long time.

"Look, I'm not going to abandon you. We have an assignment to complete, and we have to do it together. And anyways, without you, I'm… nobody. Right now, I'm the assistant to a famous historian, but without this job, I'm just another street bum looking for some cash."

Malik's crying slowed. "Really? You want to do it? You _want_ to go into the tomb?"

Bakura sighed, but it was not quite audible. "Yeah, of course I do. It could be exciting. Never know what you'll find in a tomb! Mummies, curses, snake pits… how much better can it get?"

Malik let out a quivering giggle. "You don't honestly believe all of that, do you?"

"Of course not. But it can be quite a laugh sometimes."

Bakura decided that it was time for him to do something about their situation.

"Look, Malik, if you don't come out right now, I'm breaking this door down and carrying you out. Whether you have clothes on or not."

Malik started to sob again.

"No! No, I don't want you to see me like this!"

But Bakura did not care. He broke the door down with a big crash, and stared Malik straight in the eyes.

_Aw… poo._ Malik was fully clothed, unlike Bakura was hoping.

But when he at Malik again, he noticed other things. Malik was shaking and trembling dangerously, and his face was blotchy and wet from tears. His shirt had been soaked, and it looked like he had wet his pants.

"Okay Malik, I'll get you back to our hotel. You're a wreck. We'll go get you cleaned up."

Malik stared up onto Bakura's eyes, and then stood up to allow Bakura to hold him in his arms back to their hotel.

* * *

Bakura carried Malik to the hotel, and had to force himself not to laugh in pleasure. He really _was_ a guy magnet! Malik was letting himself be _carried_ be Bakura!

But, that was all in Bakura's ego. Really, Malik probably had no interest in him, and would probably be freaked out if Bakura told him about his feelings. These thought made Bakura sad.

But, at least Malik wasn't mad at him anymore! _Wow, that guy gets over his issues quickly…_

Of course Bakura's issues usually stayed with him for over 10 years. But then again, he wasn't normal.

When Bakura reached the door to the hotel and set Malik down, Malik said,

"You know, you're pretty kind for a thieving murderer."

Bakura answered this with a smart reply.

"I wonder what kinds of thieving murderers you've been hanging out with, then?"

They both laughed and smiled as they made their way up to their hotel room.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Tomb of Fate**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

WARNING: This is a Malik/Bakura pairing fic. If you don't like them together, or think shounen-ai is sick, you might not want to read. But if you're a Malik/Bakura fan, go ahead.

* * *

NOTE: This fic takes place in a different world than Yu-Gi-Oh. Bakura and Malik are NOT from ancient Egypt, and they do NOT know each other already or any of the other YGO characters.

* * *

REVIEW REPLIES: 

Rapturous Voice: I know. It's really strange… hopefully if I update more I'll get more reviews.

* * *

Later that evening, Malik and Bakura were both comfortably relaxing in their hotel. It was a shabby place, meager but passable. But, after all, they _were_ out in the desert. They were lucky to even _find_ a hotel. 

The place was sparsely decorated, but enough to give it an exotic feel. The walls were of faded wood with bamboo details. There was a small potted palm tree in the corner. The beds were rustic and hard, and they were made of the same faded wood as the walls.

Bakura was not looking forward to a good sleep tonight. Those beds would provide a challenge that even he could not overcome. He might as well sleep on the floor.

But at least he would not have to worry about Malik. The historian had seemed to get over his problems with his partner, and now Malik was back to normal. Bakura was happy that he would not be woken up by the sounds of sobbing.

Each of the adventurers was occupying themselves however made them feel most at home. Malik was scanning pages of a dusty brown book, and jotting down snippets of notes down on some parchment, because they did not sell paper in this remote corner of Egypt. Every few minutes, Malik would flatten down the parchment, which was continuously curling up. Malik scolded it orally, just to make a point, but the parchment continued what it was doing, just like a naughty child. Eventually, Malik gave up, and set his book on top of the parchment, hoping that after a few hours the paper would stay flat.

Meanwhile, Bakura was bored. Lying back on the hard mattress, he stared at his nails for hours. He loved his nails. They were so pretty… he really should re-sharpen them. They were getting a bit dull. But he was also thinking of other things, namely… Malik. Bakura had become rather obsessed with him over the past few days. And Bakura didn't mind a bit.

The time passed so slowly, that more than once or twice Bakura could have sworn that the clock jammed. He often reported this to Malik, who always gave him some smart-ass answer about how 'the human mind responds to time faster when it is unoccupied'. But what was he doing, insulting his lovely Malik?

* * *

Malik sighed. The room they were staying in was hopelessly dreary, and he was most uncomfortable. Especially with that Bakura around. Malik did not mind him so much now; he was actually sort of nice. It was just that in the past few hours, Bakura had taken on a habit of staring at Malik for long periods on end. 

But Malik assured himself that this was all in his mind, Bakura was perfectly all right. But it was still unnerving him, even if it was in his mind. Malik did not like his mind. It played games with him, toyed with his conscience. _Gray matter my ass,_ Malik grumbled.

He stood up from his chair, and stumbled, knocking the chair over.

"Are you all right?" came Bakura's worried cry.

Malik began to stand up. "I think so… ouch!"

Malik's ankle twisted as he stood up, and he fell back to the floor in a crumpled heap.

"MALIK!"

He could only vaguely hear Bakura's voice as he blacked out, turning the world to utter blackness.

* * *

Bakura began chewing his nails and pacing around a room after Malik fainted. _What do I do?_

Bakura tried to think of something to help Malik. When he pulled back the bottom of Malik's designer jeans, he saw that the ankle was extremely swollen. _He must've sprained it,_ thought Bakura.

Normally, he would have applied ice to it right away, but seeing as they were in the middle of the desert, that was not readily available. Yet he did know that heat could help swelling as well, and there was plenty of that here in Egypt.

The only problem was, that if Bakura took Malik outside into the heat to reduce the swelling on his sprained ankle, Malik's whole body would overheat, and that would _not_ be good. He couldn't have Malik's whole body under a raised temperature.

But he couldn't very well stick Malik's leg out the window, could he?

After pondering the conundrum at hand for about fifteen minutes, Bakura reached a conclusion. He was thinking of where there was contained heat, when he remembered that the internal temperature of the human body was exceptionally high. And the best outlet for that was his mouth.

Bakura smiled. He knew what he would have to do. Yes, to stop the swelling, he would be required to put his mouth over Malik's ankle. It was a good thing that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon.

Bakura slipped Malik's sandal off, and gently held his delicate foot. _It's so small,_ thought Bakura. Then, he slowly brought his face down, and put his mouth over the ankle.

* * *

Malik woke up suddenly from his unconsciousness. It just so happened that the first thing he saw was Bakura sucking on his foot. 

"_What the HELL are you doing?"_ Malik screamed, and Bakura was sure that someone in the next room heard it. As Malik quickly pulled back his foot, he accidentally kicked Bakura in the mouth, which started to bleed.

"I'hm bingihn dah swehllin' dohn." Bakura forced through his injured mouth.

"Liar!" Malik yelled, but then looked down at his ankle. It sure did look like the swelling was gone. Was Bakura really smart enough to know that heat counteracts inflammation? But for now, that didn't matter.

"Oh, sorry." Malik said slowly, as he realized that Bakura had only good intentions. "It just looked like…"

"Ah noh… ah wahs ahfrad ohf dat." Bakura said painfully.

"Understandable…" Malik replied. "Oh, and sorry about your mouth. Here, take some Kleenex. If you put it over the bleeding it will help."

Of course, Bakura already knew this, but he acted as if Malik was being a big help. "Tans ah lot."

Malik smiled. "Don't mention it!"

After a few minutes with the Kleenex in his mouth, Bakura could produce speech more effectively.

"Well, that was a laugh." Bakura giggled.

Malik nodded, though it was hard not to break out laughing. Malik had never had someone suck on him before. _That sound sick,_ Malik thought immediately.

* * *

After a few more hours of chatting, which was getting more tiring by the minute, Malik decided that it was time for bed, and Bakura heartily agreed, which was not like him. Malik curled up on the right half of the bed with his bug dusty book, taking even more notes on the now-flattened parchment. 

Bakura took the left side of the only bed, but had no book and decided to stare relentlessly over Malik's shoulder to read the book he was holding. After he finally got a good look, Bakura unhappily was forced to lay in boredom, because the book was in a different language that Bakura did not recognized. But he did guess that it was probably in Egyptian.

Malik eventually set his book and writing utensils down on the bedside table. He then shifted further to the end of his side of the bed and turned his back to Bakura, not knowing that the thief resented this.

_So selfish,_ thought Bakura, as he did the same on his side of the bed. Not only did Malik have no need to separate himself from Bakura like that, but they needed to share body heat as the sunset turned into the cold, dark desert night.

But, Bakura guessed, it was only natural for normal males to not want to sleep close to other males. _But I'm a normal male!_ Bakura pouted. But as soon as this thought escaped his mind, he questioned his reasoning.

In the next few hours, Malik fell fast asleep. He made strange noises and movements at regular intervals, but Bakura wasn't scared. Malik was probably just having nightmares about the tomb they were to enter in the near future.

Bakura continued staring and Malik's slim form. _What lovely pajamas,_ Bakura randomly thought. _Oh no, I'm going crazy!_ Bakura quietly laughed.

Malik suddenly gave a jerk, and flipped over to face Malik. For a moment, Bakura thought that he had woken up, but then he saw that Malik's eyes were still closed. Bakura sighed out of relief.

After waiting a few minutes, Bakura could not help but move closer to the sleeping blonde. Malik looked quite different up close. _Even more beautiful,_ thought Bakura.

After contemplating the consequences of his action, Bakura decided that he could venture even further into Malik's territory on the bed. It was risky, but worth it.

Bakura stared dreamily into Malik's eyelids. The historian looked so peaceful, sound asleep in dreamland.

Bakura's eyes averted to stare at Malik's elbow. It was bare, because his pajamas included a tank-top. Bakura's body began to move of it's own accord, as his arm slowly stretched out.

It touched Malik's elbow, and Bakura was surprised at how soft it felt. _So smooth, like silk… it's wonderful._ Bakura continued to rest his hand there. This was heaven.

Bakura began stroking the elbow slowly. He could stay like this all night, just moving his hand back and forth; back and forth… it was wonderful. Yet, happy as he was, Bakura could not help but wish for more.

As he moved his head closer, Bakura decided that he was going too far, he could not stop. His muscles were not responding to his order to stop. They were moving his head closer, ever so close to Malik's. So close, he could feel Malik's soft, steady breathing of his chin. There lips were inches apart, constantly moving closer. Closer… closer…

Closer.

* * *

So how did you like that chapter? I could have been better, but at least it was a tad bit longer than the others. More action, too. 

REVIEW QUESTION: Just for fun: Which character do you like more, Malik or Bakura? The answers I get might affect whose point of view I will tend to take… so if you want to see more of either, just say so!


	5. Chapter 5

**The Tomb of Fate**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

WARNING: This is a Malik/Bakura pairing fic. If you don't like them together, or think shounen-ai is sick, you might not want to read. But if you're a Malik/Bakura fan, go ahead.

* * *

NOTE: This fic takes place in a different world than Yu-Gi-Oh. Bakura and Malik are NOT from ancient Egypt, and they do NOT know each other already or any of the other YGO characters.

* * *

REVIEW REPLIES:

Look out your window: No! Not the brains! You know what; I actually stared out my window when I read your review.

Kotori-chan: Yes, Malik and Bakura make a lovely pairing, don't they?

Slave of Darkness: You don't have to apologize for not reviewing. I like reviews, but I don't want to make my readers feel like they are obligated to give me their blessings. (Or whatever reviews are for!)

DarkAngstKoi: Kool! 'Kura tis cute… yup.

SisteroftheOrichalcos: No idea? Well.. I'll just have to decide for you. Let's go with Bakura for now, shall we?

BakuraxMalikNum1Fan: They are so great together, aren't they?

* * *

LAST CHAPTER'S REVIEW QUESTION:

Just for fun: Which character do you like more, Malik or Bakura? The answers I get might affect whose point of view I will tend to take… so if you want to see more of either, just say so!

RESULTS:

Malik: Two votes.

'Kura: One.

Well, looks like Malik will prevail… for now! Mwahahahahahaaa… ahem.

* * *

AUTHOR NOTE: Hey guys, I'm back! Yes, I know the last time I updated anything on was _months_ ago, and I still probably won't update that often, but hey, anything is good, right guys? Sorry to keep you all waiting… I apologize if any of you lost interest in this fic since. Also, looking back, I realize how barbarically short my first chapters were… if you can even call them that! Technically, they shouldn't even count. I'm writing longer chapters now, so you guys will have something to sink your teeth into. Until I finish writing, ta ta!

* * *

Bakura leaned in, taking in a deep breath as he prepared to kiss Malik.

_How perfect…_ he thought, imagining how life would be if Malik loved him back. Right now, he was not sure what the consequences of his actions would be, but he didn't really care right now. The only thing he cared about was…

_Click. Click, click, click._

Bakura froze, less than a hairbreadth from Malik's tender lips, listening to the sounds coming from their door. He knew that noise. He lay still for a few more seconds.

_Click. Click, click._

Yes, he _definitely_ knew that noise. In fact, he heard in almost every day. It was the sound of lock picking. Someone was trying to break into their room.

Quickly and quietly, he shook Malik to wake him from his slumber. Malik's eyes slowly opened, but when he saw that it was still dark, he shook himself awake.

"Huh? Wha-''

Bakura quickly silenced Malik by putting a finger on his lips. Malik frowned, but stopped when he saw Bakura's look of urgency.

Malik followed Bakura's eyes on to the door, which he now realized a tiny clicking noise was coming from.

* * *

Malik understood at once what was going on. Being a famous speaker and quite rich, his mansion had been broken into on numerous occasions. He perceived that the culprits that were right outside the door were after his money.

After all, Malik had nothing other than money of value on him. He carried no important legal papers, no ancient artifacts, or anything else. And the thieves certainly couldn't be after his _clothes._ Well, his suit was quite expensive, but he doubted the thieves would want to be seen running around town with a Gucci suit on. They would stand out like blackheads.

_So they must be after more than just money,_ thought Malik. _But what else could they possibly want? And what else would we have for them?_

His head raced to reach a conclusion before their unexpected visitors broke entry, but to no avail. Malik had convinced himself that nobody would care about some old tomb that a couple of knowledgeable people (okay, so maybe only one) were coming to explore merely for the sake of the historical community… as his thoughts wandered to his surroundings, he became increasingly aware of the fact that Bakura, _that thieving pig_, was no longer laying next to him on the bed. He was no where no be seen.

_Oh no, _Malik thought, _maybe he found another way out and is going to take on the robbers by himself! _Malik was about to call out warning to Bakura, but he reassured himself quickly that Bakura was safe. I mean, he had said that he could move silently, right? He was probably somewhere in the room, hiding from the enemy.

But Malik knew that Bakura wasn't the type to run from a fight. _He's probably lying in wait so that he can surprise our opponents, _Malik assumed. But what if Bakura wasn't on his side anymore? What if he wasn't on his side from the start? What about those sly comments about murder? Malik thought that there was even a possibility of Bakura planning this whole thing… maybe he was from the same organization as the robbers? _No… he couldn't be…_ Malik tried to convince himself of Bakura's loyalty, but he could not remove the small belief that Bakura was not who he thought he was.

Just as Malik was attempting to form a new plan of action, he felt jolt from beneath the bed. Were there robbers under there? Or maybe even… the monster under the bed? _Don't be silly, that's a children's story,_ Malik told himself, as he shifted over to the other edge of the bed. Before thinking twice, he lowered his head over the edge of the mattress to peek underneath, but as soon as he could see, all there was was the abundance of bright, white light. _Has it eaten me? Am I dead? In heaven? No… it's not possible… what about Bakura?_

* * *

"Stop staring at my hair," whispered Bakura in a rather disapproving tone to Malik's blank, upside-down face. "Get under here already." Malik seemed to snap back to reality, and proceeded to slide noiselessly underneath the bed. Or at least with as little noise as a rich historian can make while slipping to the underside of a bed.

"Was that you, Bakura? The bumping?" Malik's scared face was obvious even in the almost pitch-black room. "Yes, of course it was me. I was trying to get your attention. And, apparently, it worked." Malik nodded.

Bakura's attentive nose was becoming increasingly aware of the musty, suffocating smell under the bed. Malik's presence did not help that fact; He took up more oxygen than Bakura would by himself.

_Click, click, click, click…_

The noises from the door were louder now. Malik's face began to show fear and apprehension, but Bakura was as cool as a cucumber. (?) His nerves were built for moments like these, as he experienced them several times daily in his usual lifestyle. He slowly shuffled to one side of the bed, not close enough to be seen, but not too far to be rendered useless in an important situation.

_Click… click, click… CLICK!_

That was it. They were in. Bakura's ears listened to the creak of the wooden door as it slowly swung open on its rusty hinges.

* * *

Well, hey, it could have been worse. A little short still, but not too boring.

REVIEW QUESTION:

It's catchphrase time! What should Bakura's favorite one-liner be? I'll probably use it for the rest of the story.

Examples: "I'll be back." "Yo dog, Bakura's in da house!" "I'm as cool as a cucumber." "Cheese? WHERE?"


End file.
